The San Francisco 49ers have reported to training camp, and by the time you read this, may have even started practice number one. Football fans everywhere are celebrating the return of the sport. The offseason is over and we now have actual football things to discuss.
Until we receive further updates on injured players like Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw, we'll continue to field questions about them. Both players were placed on the PUP list (physically unable to perform) on Tuesday. Players placed on the PUP during training camp can come off the list anytime during camp or preseason. But if the player is still on PUP when the regular season begins, he must sit out at least four games.
And there are still questions surrounding Brandon Aiyuk, but for now, most of the talk now shifts to what's taking place on the field. The 49ers begin their quest for number six, and we begin our weekly editions of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag. Let's hop in and see what's on your mind this week.
What's the latest on Ricky? Last thing I saw was the Non-Football injury but I haven't seen anything since. Did I miss an update? - Inconsistently Consistent
Rick Pearsall is dealing with a hamstring injury and has been placed on the NFI (Non-football injury list). During the mandatory minicamp in June, he was wearing a blue, non-contact jersey. He will miss the first four days of practice, but the hope is he'll return to practice soon. Sometimes hamstring injuries can linger, so the 49ers are taking every precaution with their top pick to make sure he is healthy before he hits the practice field.
In your estimation, do the 49ers currently have the most talented roster amongst NFC West teams? Also, how would you rank the four teams in terms of roster quality? - Ed H.
Yes, not only do the 49ers have the best roster in the NFC West, they have the best roster in the NFL. Now, that doesn't mean they'll win it all. They had the best roster in the league last season, as well.
And health is a factor. The 49ers had an excellent roster in 2020, but injuries destroyed what should have been a promising season. So you never know.
If I was ranking the NFC West, as far as quality of the rosters, I'd put the 49ers on top, followed by the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks (quarterback aside), and then the Arizona Cardinals. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if the Cardinals end up being better than the Seahawks soon. They seem to be heading in the right direction.
I asked back at the draft if you think Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell are on the chopping block and you said no. Has your opinion changed? - Sasha R.
Yes, my opinion has changed. It must have been before the draft if I answered that Danny Gray and Ronnie Bell were not on the chopping block. The writing was on the wall once the 49ers drafted Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
We know that Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Pearsall are all locks to make the team. We can assume that Cowing will make it, as well. That's five wide receivers. The 49ers will likely keep six. So who's the sixth?
49ers beat reporter, Matt Maiocco, told me and Anthony Robertson that he believes the team will keep six, and that Chris Conley won't be one of those. He believes Gray is done, and that Bell is hanging by a thread. Maiocco predicts that the sixth receiver will be Trent Taylor, because of his ability to return punts and not put the ball on the ground like Bell did last season. Taylor won't break off any long returns, but he's trustworthy. The 49ers likely would have won the Super Bowl if they had a more trustworthy punt returner in that game.
Will Talanoa Hufanga be ready for week one? - James N.
That's what we'll be waiting to see. He said that's his goal. But will his body agree to it? He's on the PUP list for now. The hope is that he'll come off of it during training camp so he can be ready for week one.
Another big question will be who starts in Hufanga's place if he's not ready to go when the team faces the New York Jets. Will they bring in someone from outside, like Justin Simmons? Will they take the chance of having two young safeties, second-year pro, Ji'Ayir Brown, and rookie Malik Mustapha facing Aaron Rodgers? Will they have George Odom fill in until Hufanga is ready? Those are questions we hope to have answered sometime in training camp.
What does anything short of a Super Bowl victory this season look like for the landscape of this organization moving forward? - Miles M.
That's hard to say. Right now, Kyle Shanahan has the locker room on his side. But depending on what happens with Aiyuk, or if the team has a bad season, or even another disappointing ending as in recent years, it's possible the temperature in the locker room could change. It's hard for a leader to stay relevant year after year.
Leadership guru, Dr. John Maxwell, talks a lot about what he calls, "The power of the big Mo." He's talking about momentum and he calls it "the great exaggerator." When you have momentum, you look better than you are. When you don't have it, you look worse than you are. When you have momentum, everyone wants to be on your team and follow you. But when you lose it, people start looking for ways to abandon ship.
Right now, Shanahan still has momentum. But there's always the chance that things can change. They did for Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Steve Mariucci, and Jim Harbaugh. It's possible it could change for Shanahan at some point, especially as gut-wrenching losses in big games pile up. When they lost in 2019, you could at least say they were headed in the right direction. Now that they've lost two Super Bowls and a couple of NFC Championship Games, the losses start to feel different. And not in a good way.
That said, I don't think Shanahan is going anywhere anytime soon. He's a great coach and this team is still very good. So failing to win the Super Bowl in 2024 isn't going to significantly change the trajectory of the orgaization. But it also won't help.
This might be our last dance season. - Brent P.
I disagree with this. Shanahan and John Lynch built the best roster in football from scratch. The team they inherited in 2017 was awful. I believe that if they can build a great roster from nothing, they can keep this team loaded moving forward. Rest easy, Brent, 2024 is not the last dance for the 49ers.
How much access does the press have, and how are the new players performing? - ThreatLevel
It's too early to say how the new 49ers are looking, since Wednesday was the first practice. As training camp progresses, we'll have more updates, including how the new players look.
The media has a lot of access on the days the team practices. On those days, they are present for the practice and then have access to coaches and players during the press conferences after (and sometimes before) practice. Here's the 49ers' practice and media schedule for the first two weeks of training camp. Once training camp ends, the media has limited access compared to what they will have during training camp.
That's all we have for this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag. We'll be back next week for another one. By then, we will have more answers...and likely more questions.